Kane is a member of the Beasts Pirates, and one of their high-ranking officers.
Kawamatsu wasn't surprised by this; without such a status, it would have been impossible for them to meet so easily.
But...
"Isn't the Wano Country Shogun Orochi?"
"He's dead. I killed him."
Kane shrugged, his tone as casual as if he had just stepped on an ant.
"Hahahahaha, good riddance! Orochi, you scoundrel, you finally got what was coming to you!"
Kawamatsu burst into laughter.
The main culprit behind their current plight was Orochi.
"Princess, are you working for the Beasts now?"
Kawamatsu looked at Hiyori, then at Kane, and sighed: "That's fine... at least you can live a stable life."
He looked dejected: "It's all because of Kawamatsu's incompetence; I couldn't protect the Princess."
Through the prison bars, Hiyori grasped Kawamatsu's hands, her face full of guilt: "That's not it, you've done very well. I was too willful, I shouldn't have left without saying goodbye and made you worry."
Even though her initial intention was to prevent Kawamatsu from starving to death, as she grew up, she understood the immense impact her unannounced departure would have on Kawamatsu.
This man, with such a strong sense of responsibility, must have been blaming himself all these years.
Kane interrupted the master and servant: "To be precise, Hiyori is my person."
Kawamatsu's pupils constricted. Was this another ambitious individual?
"Are you going to replace Kaido?"
"That's for the future."
Kane did not hide his ambition; his future would never be limited by a mere billboard position.
In the future, he would either leave the Beasts Pirates to establish his own power, or he would incorporate the Beasts Pirates into his own.
Currently, he leaned more towards the latter.
The Beasts Pirates were also the best target for usurpation.
Compared to the Big Mom Pirates, which were bound by blood ties, and the Whitebeard Pirates, which were bound by a father-son relationship, the Beasts Pirates, who believed in the supremacy of strength, were the most likely to accept a change in Captain.
From a certain perspective, Kane, who wanted to become the King of the World, shared a similar dream with Kaido.
To overthrow the World Government and defeat Imu, it was impossible without launching a massive worldwide war.
"What brings you here today?"
Kawamatsu frowned; he didn't think the man in front of him was so kind as to simply bring the Princess to see him.
"Join me, Kawamatsu."
Kane smiled confidently: "The Kozuki Family is a thing of the past in this country. You might as well transfer the gratitude you feel for Kozuki Oden to Hiyori."
Seeing Kawamatsu unmoved, Kane spoke again: "Can you bear to let Hiyori live alone and destitute in this land?"
A little moral blackmail!
Sure enough, Kawamatsu's expression instantly became hesitant.
Seeing this, Kane added another weight to the scale: "As long as you are willing to follow me, I can promise you that I will never let you participate in any actions against Momonosuke and the Nine Red Scabbards!"
Kawamatsu was stunned: "You know about the Young Master?"
"That prophecy is no secret to me. I always know more than you imagine. For example, which of the Nine Red Scabbards betrayed Kozuki Oden..."
Kane's low voice, like the whisper of a demon, instantly seized Kawamatsu's mind.
"No, impossible. The Nine Red Scabbards are united and loyal to Lord Oden; no one could have betrayed us."
Kawamatsu was struck by lightning, his voice hoarse: "Don't try to trick me!"
Hiyori's eyes were blank; she had never imagined that one of the uncles who had been so kind to her could be a traitor.
She looked at Kane and murmured: "Lord Kane, you're lying to me, aren't you?"
"I never lie about such things."
Kane's calm tone completely crushed the last shred of hope in their hearts.
"If we hadn't known your Counterattack Plan in advance, how else would we and Orochi have set up an ambush precisely on your inevitable path?"
Kane's words were like a clap of thunder in Kawamatsu's mind.
No wonder they had walked right into the encirclement that day.
"Tell me, who is that guy? I'll tear him to shreds!"
Kawamatsu's eyes were bloodshot, his hands tightly gripping the cold iron bars, shaking them madly, veins bulging on his palms, his face contorted and hideous from extreme hatred.
A traitor is far more hateful than an enemy!
"Then join me."
Kane's lips curved into a smile of complete control, and he calmly extended his right hand.
Kawamatsu's gaze flickered back and forth between Kane's hand and his own, his heart torn between loyalty to the Kozuki Family and hatred for the traitor.
After a long time...
Kawamatsu tremblingly extended his right hand: "I can join, but I must have the right to refuse missions. I will die before I lay a hand on any follower of the Kozuki Family."
"As long as you sincerely join, I will treat you as my partner."
Kane grasped Kawamatsu's outstretched right hand, his smile bright: "I have no objection to a partner's request."
"That's wonderful."
Although she didn't want to say it, Hiyori was truly happy that Kawamatsu was willing to join Lord Kane's ranks.
Clank clank...
The prison door opened, and the shackles fell to the ground.
Kawamatsu regained his long-lost freedom.
"Lord Kane." Kawamatsu bowed his head in submission.
"Kawamatsu, welcome."
Kane replied, completing this simple ceremony of submission.
Thud!
Kawamatsu immediately performed a dogeza, pleading: "Lord Kane, please tell me who the traitor is!"
Kane shook his head: "No rush, there's another person who also craves this answer."
Hiyori reacted: "Right, there's also Denjiro! He must want to know too."
Kawamatsu looked up in surprise: "Princess, you found Denjiro?"
Hiyori gave a bitter smile: "To be precise, he found me. If it weren't for Denjiro, I would probably have died three years ago."
Kane smiled: "Kawamatsu, you're not the first to defect to me. Denjiro has already been working for me for several months."
Although Denjiro was using Kyoshiro's identity, the point was, wasn't he working for him?
Huh?
Kawamatsu's eyes widened.
Denjiro, you thick-browed, big-eyed fellow, you betrayed us too?
The three walked out of the cell, and Kane asked Babanuki for Kawamatsu's treasured sword, "Outer Unrivaled."
Those present were stunned to see Kawamatsu obediently following behind Kane.
Was this still the Kawamatsu who had eaten poisonous fish for three years and still maintained his pride?
What kind of bewitching potion did Kane give him?!
"Pah, traitor!"
A prisoner spat directly, the sound clearly reaching Kawamatsu's ears.
"Kawamatsu~" Hiyori looked at him worriedly.
"Don't worry, I'm fine." Kawamatsu replied softly, his voice calm.
The moment he made his choice, he had already prepared himself.
Just then, Queen, twisting his corpulent body, rushed over with a look as if he had seen a ghost.
As the supervisor of the Udon prisoner labor camp, he knew how stubborn Kawamatsu was.
Even Lord Kaido had personally come to persuade him once, but failed.
How long had this kid been in there?!
And he already succeeded?!
"Don't worry about it, he's submitted anyway."
Kane was too lazy to explain; he was going to visit the other four prisoner quarries in Udon to announce policies.
After finishing their visit to Udon, the three rushed to Flower Capital without stopping.